Latino support among Democratic Party

The Obama administration is keeping a close eye on recent data about Latino support for the Democratic Party. The Associated Press recently published an article that focus on some of the challenges the administration faces in order to keep Latino Democratic approval high, the number one challenge being immigration reform.

Currently Latino support for president Obama is high with some estimates indicating as much as seventy percent approval rating, but that could change if immigration reform is not addressed within the next year. The AP article quoted National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguia saying, "Our community will judge him based on how he delivers on the promise he made to see immigration reform early in his administration."

High office appointments of Latinos is one reason that Obama's approval has remained high among Latino groups. According to an article on news website Arizona dot com, Obama has appointed 43 Latinos to top levels in his administration, the highest number of any president.

Another example of Obama's efforts to retain Latino support is the attention he has given to Hispanic media. Since taking office, Obama has given interviews to Telemundo, Univision, and the popular radio show Piolin.

Latino approval ratings will continue to be a huge issue to both Democrats and Republicans heading into next year's Congressional elections, and with the Latino population estimated to double by 2050 expect to see a larger effort made by both parties to acquire the Latino vote.

NPR related material:

Taking The Pulse Of Obama\'s Latino Support

November 2, 2009 | NPR· Going into Election Day last year pundits questioned whether then-candidate Barack Obama would appeal to Latino voters. In the end, he received 70 percent of the Latino vote, but where does that support lie today? Host Michel Martin talks with Linda Chavez, chair of the Center for Equal Opportunity, and Fernand Amandi, executive vice president of Bendixen and Associates, a public opinion research firm that specializes in multi-cultural and multi-lingual polls.

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Latino Voters Defy Pundits, Vote For Obama

November 7, 2008 | NPR· Latino voters were a crucial demographic that helped Barack Obama win the White House. Luis Clemens, a journalist who covers Hispanic politics, tells Renee Montagne that the bad economy influenced Latinos more than other demographics to vote for Obama.

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Credit:

Obama image: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-05/26/xin_4520506270621140269582.jpg

Mexico updates border infrastructure

In a move to slow the flow of weapons and drug money to cartel gangs, the Mexican government is updating their border entry points with new infrastructure. The improvements include newer gates, vehicle scales and cameras that will be used to prevent and detect illegal items from getting into Mexico.

One port that will see a significant change in border security will be in the Tijuana region. The Los Angeles Times reports that, "license-plate photographs will be run against a criminal database in Mexico City; a scale and vehicle-scanning system will determine if the car may be overloaded with contraband; and canine units will roam the area.”

In a separate move to combat cartel activity, Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, is set to test an anonymous international crime tip system. The system’s purpose is to allow people in Mexico to report crimes without having to worry about corrupt police officers intercepting the call and retaliating. The program will begin in December.

Credit: post image: http://www.welt.de/multimedia/archive/1237976118000/00779/eng_mexico_teaser_B_779148g.jpg

U.S. assistance to Mexico to continue

The Merida Initiative established under the Bush administration to help combat drug cartels in Mexico is set to end next year. Recent announcements from the Obama administration, however, detail continued support toward Mexico’s drug battle by means of funding and training.

An article by the Dallas Morning News quoted a senior Obama administration official saying that the U.S. and Mexico are going to employ tactics different from those under the Merida Initiative. “U.S. and Mexican officials are looking for ways to gradually move the focus of their efforts from dismantling and disrupting cartels to strengthening Mexico's weak democratic institutions and weeding out corruption.”

One way that the U.S. hopes to help improve Mexico’s military and police operations is by assisting in the development of Platform Mexico, a computer network used to connect Mexican Authorities with U.S. law enforcement databases. An article in the Washington Post quoted the director of Platform Mexico, José Francisco Niembro González: "This is one of our most important reforms because if you don't have the intelligence, the information, you are just reacting. This will make us proactive."

In addition to Platform Mexico, the U.S. has funded a training academy for Mexican police officers in San Luis Potosi which plans to have more that 10,000 graduates by Spring 2010. The cadets must participate in an intensive 7-week training course in basic detective work taught by instructors from Canada, the United States and Columbia, working together with Mexican agents.

Image Credit

Mexico Flag: http://www.flickr.com/photos/esparta/367002402/sizes/s/

U.S. Flag: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/3415734920/sizes/s/

Border update

The BBC recently put out a multimedia story titled Mexico’s Juarez on a path to anarchy, which explains the perspective of people living in the town. The article points out that one belief is that the drug war is the result of poverty and political corruption.

On poverty, one Mexican journalist is quoted in the article:

"We have an unsustainable economy - a globalised economy - which pays very low wages. That allowed an alternative economy to be created which also globalised - drugs. Both economies are playing here. Juarez is a very important place for both."

And on corruption, a Mexican business man is quoted:

"Nothing functions well, therefore anyone can take advantage of the system. So what we're seeing now is a [illegal] drug industry that's taking advantage of the system - of the way things work.

"And to get rid of it like the federal government is trying to do now is going to cause a lot of problems. So this violence is a consequence of all this."

The problems occuring at border areas in Mexico has led officials in the U.S. to try and find ways to help remedy the situation. One idea that keeps coming up is gun control. Former head of U.S. Custom and Border Protection under both Bush administrations, Robert C. Bonner, is advocating for the reinstitution of a ban on assault weapons. An article from the Washington Times wrote that Bonner is calling for the United States to tighten security along its border and to further investigate gun sellers in the U.S.

Bonner was quoted as saying that the solution to these problems must be tackled by both the U.S. and Mexico.

"But successful efforts will require closer collaboration between U.S. and Mexican border law enforcement agencies, and this will depend on strengthening law enforcement capacity in the border region, including enhancing the professionalism of enforcement agencies to make them more corruption-resistant," he said.

One growing issue of concern is a press release put out by the Texas Department of Public Safety titled,Mexican cartels and gangs recruiting in Texas schools (pdf). The warning states that there is a growing trend of cartels trying to entice young people into becoming drug smugglers along the border. "The Mexican cartels constantly seek new ways to smuggle drugs and humans into Texas are now using state based gangs and our youth to support their operations on both sides of the border."

Napalitano announces "three legged stool approach"

In an announcement at the Center for American Progress, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napalitano told attendees that the Obama administration will push for legislation to overhaul the immigration system early next year.

Napalitano’s laid out a so called “three-legged-stool” approach:

“Let me be clear: when I talk about 'immigration reform,' I’m referring to what I call the 'three-legged stool' that includes a commitment to serious and effective enforcement, improved legal flows for families and workers, and a firm but fair way to deal with those who are already here,” said Napalitano.

In response to the news, two north Texas churches have developed a holiday postcard campaign. The churches hope to send 250,000 cards to members of Congress urging immigration reform. The primary message of the card will be that families in the U.S. are being torn apart by current immigration laws. This separation usually occurs when families are of mixed status. Put another way, when one or both parents are undocumented and children in the family are documented.

NPR Related Material:

Increasing Drug Seizures, Decreasing Arrests Along Border

The number of arrests along the United States –Mexico border has declined by 23% so far this year. An article in the Wall Street Journal reports that:

“U.S. border apprehensions dropped to 556,041 in fiscal year 2009 -- which ended Sept. 30 -- compared with 723,825 in the 2008 fiscal year. Border apprehensions have fallen nearly 67% decline since fiscal year 2000, when the border patrol made 1,675,438 arrests.”

Government officials have also said that as the number of arrests has fallen, the number of drug seizures has actually risen. The reason for increasing drug seizures, according to the Wall Street Journal article, is because the drop in arrests due to illegal border crossings has allowed the government to shift more of their resources toward illicit trafficking.

The decrease in arrests and increase in drug seizures has been attributed to a weak economy in the U.S. combined with tighter security along the border. The number of border patrol agents has increased from 11,000 in 2004 to 20,000 in 2009. Additionally, funding for the border patrol has risen from $6 billion in the 2004 fiscal year, to $10.9 billion in the last fiscal year.

Two recently reported drug seizures along the border were in the El Paso Times yesterday. The seizures both took place along the Fort Hancock Port of Entry, and included

• Two individuals caught crossing the border on Friday carrying 218 pounds of marijuana worth $170, 752.
• Two individuals being pulled over during immigration stop. After the vehicle was pulled over the driver and passenger fled. Later, 375 pounds of marijuana worth more $300, 275 were found inside the abandoned vehicle.

In the near future, expect to see this data being used by the Obama administration as a strategy to win support from Congress for an immigration overhaul. Also expect to hear some details about the administration’s plans this Friday when Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano gives a speech at the Center for American Progress.

Related Material:

Border-crossers-bring-fear-of-Mexican-gangs

credits: border patrol image:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocosma/1427410581/

Texas Tribune Reports on Border issues

Surrounded by a lot of hype, the online non-profit news start-up The Texas Tribune launched today. There is much to be said about the website's fresh approach to the news, but for the sake of this blog I will discuss the attention that the site has paid to U.S. - Mexico issues.

Perhaps the first thing I noticed on the site was the topics page. Here, you have Tribune coverage organized by topic sections. In the leader to the topics page there were three issues that jumped out at me: border cameras, immigration, and the Texas-Mexico border.

When you click on each topic you will be directed to a page that gives some history and recent developments regarding the topic. I was really impressed by the use of links in the descriptions because each link was extremely relevant and very useful in understanding the topic at hand. Underneath each description you will find a list of relevant stories written by Tribune staffers. So far there aren't many stories, but the site was just launched today and expect to see many more in the future.

I was happy to come to this site today and find that the Tribune has a devoted an area to U.S. - Mexico relations. It will be interesting to see how well the Tribune reports on the issue, and to observe how much coverage they devote to this extremely critical topic.

Increasing Violence on the Border

News outlets across the nation reported Tuesday that the border city Juarez has exceeded 2,000 homicides this year alone, making it one of the most violent areas in the world outside of declared war zones.

Perhaps most startling is the rate in which the killings have increased. Before 2008 Juarez had about 200 homicides annually, but in 2008 that number soared to 1,600 killings by the year's end. Now, with two months to go before this year's end, the number has jumped again to exceed 2,000. The Houston Chronicle released an article in which they interviewed Tony Payan, a professor at the University of El Paso who has been studying the problem in Juarez. Payan is quoted in the article saying:

“Having hitched itself [Juarez] successfully to American patterns of consumption, including drug consumption, it has also become the one city where the crunch of the war on drugs and the worldwide financial crisis have had a very heavy impact,” Payan said. “Tens of thousands of young men roam the streets with little or no hope of obtaining a job, of receiving drug treatment, of escaping the cycle of violence.”

“And the possibility of violence, which also encapsulates the possibility of making some money, draws them back into the eye of the storm. And thus, they are falling dead right and left.”

The situation in Juarez and other border towns has left many in the U.S. questioning if the cartel violence will spread to the U.S. Just yesterday, the San Antonio Express reported that “several” people were killed in a shoot-out between cartel members and Mexican Police at the border town of Nuevo Laredo. The fire-fight took place in front of a day care center as parents were picking up their children from school. The SAE reported that no children or parents were killed, but that one woman suffered minor cuts from a piece of shattered glass. The article also stated that, “the Texas Department of Public Safety sent a helicopter at the request of Mexican authorities to help provide reinforcements, and as many as 20 troopers were sent to the border in case anyone tried to crash the bridge.” Officials were quoted in the article saying that as of late Wednesday, none of the suspects had tried to cross the border.

The question of whether drug cartel operations have filtered into the U.S. was arguably answered today when the U.S. Justice department announced that they have arrested 300 suspects accused of having ties to the La Familia drug cartel network. In the memo sent out by the Justice Department, Attorney General Eric Holder said:

“This unprecedented, coordinated U.S. law enforcement action - the largest ever undertaken against a Mexican drug cartel - has dealt a significant blow to La Familia’s supply chain of illegal drugs, weapons and cash flowing between Mexico and the United States.”

“We will not allow these cartels to operate unfettered in our country, and with the increases in cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities in recent years, we are taking the fight to our adversaries. We will continue to stand strong with our partners in Mexico as we work to disrupt and dismantle cartel operations on both sides of the border."

Further, an article in the Dallas Morning News indicated that 84 of the 300 La Familia arrests took place in Dallas. The DMN article also stated that they acquired a criminal complaint filed in Dallas in which “investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives claim that operatives of La Familia shipped hundreds of firearms from the United States to Mexico over the past 12 months.”

NPR related material:

Police Find 9 Decapitated Bodies In Western Mexico

October 16, 2009 | NPR· The state Public Safety Department said the bodies and severed heads were inside 18 plastic bags left in the bed of the truck, which was found blocking a highway in the town of Tlapehuala late Thursday. Police also found a threatening message attributed to the drug cartel known as La Familia.

Narcocorridos: Ballads Of The Mexican Cartels

October 10, 2009 | NPR· The news of Mexico\'s bloody cartel war is reflected in a controversial folk-music genre called narcocorridos, or drug ballads. They\'re like journalism put to song — telling stories of drug lords, arrests, shootouts, daring operations and betrayals. But, like the cartel war itself, writing corridos about drug traffickers can be risky business.

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Mexico\'s \'La Familia\' Cartel Mixes Spiritualism, Crime

October 1, 2009 | NPR· The Mexican government\'s war against drug cartels over the past three years has claimed more than 11,000 lives, snared thousands of alleged criminals and brought down scores of politicians. One of the newer cartels being pursued by President Felipe Calderon\'s administration is La Familia, a group that mixes politics, spiritualism and violence.

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Marijuana policy's affect on drug cartels

The Justice Department’s announcement that federal prosecutors are to back off medical-marijuana users has spurred a high level of debate between advocates and opponents. One primary topic of this debate is how the change in policy will effect Mexican drug cartels that gain much of their revenue from the sale of marijuana.

In a memo released to federal prosecutors, Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden wrote that the Department of Justice is still committed to the enforcement of the illegal sale and distribution of marijuana. The memo mentioned that illegal drug trafficking “provides a significant source of revenue to large-scale criminal enterprises, gangs, and cartels.” In addition, the memo stated that the prosecution of illegal drug activity was a “core priority” of the department, but that medical marijuana should be treated differently than illegal marijuana use. Ogden wrote, “As a general matter, pursuit of these priorities should not focus federal resources in your States on individuals whose actions are in clear and unambiguous compliance with existing state laws providing for the medical use of marijuana.”

Representative Lamar Smith of Texas is one vocal critic of the new medical-marijuana policy. On his website, Smith is quoted as saying:

“For the past ten months, the Obama administration has promised robust drug enforcement efforts to help address cartel-operated marijuana fields in our national parks and drug-related violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. But we cannot hope to eradicate the drug trade if we do not first address the cash cow for most drug trafficking organizations—marijuana. Illegal marijuana sales in the U.S. help fund the illegal drug trade.”

Smith’s logic implies that the easing of prosecutions on medical-marijuana could benefit cartels and other organizations in the illegal drug trade. However, an article in the Los Angeles Times stated that one priority of the department’s new marijuana policy is “countering the violent Mexican drug cartels, which use vast profits from their U.S. marijuana sales to support other criminal activities.” The Justice Department's plan is opposite to Smith’s suggestion that the policy will help cartels, and the department is betting that the change in direction will allow federal officials to focus more of their energy on illegal drug traffickers, instead of those who are using marijuana legally.

NPR related material:

Government Issues Medical Marijuana Guidelines

October 19, 2009 | NPR· Federal agents won\'t pursue pot-smoking patients or their sanctioned suppliers in states that allow medical marijuana, under new legal guidelines issued Monday by the Obama administration.

U.S. Shifts Stance On Medical Marijuana

October 19, 2009 | NPR· U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is discouraging federal prosecutors from going after people who comply with state laws on medical marijuana. It\'s a significant departure from the Bush administration.

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Wanted: Professional Pot Critic

October 18, 2009 | NPR· Voters in the state elected to legalize medical marijuana almost a decade ago. But this year, there has been a boom in the number of dispensaries. Now, the Denver alternative-weekly newspaper, Westword, is seeking a freelance pot critic. Host Liane Hansen speaks to Westword editor Patricia Calhoun about the alternative weekly\'s search for a medical marijuana critic.

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Ban on Automatic Weapons Urged

According to the AP news, The Bi national Task Force on the United States-Mexico Border has recommended that the U.S. should immediately instate an assault weapons ban in order to improve the security of both the U.S. and Mexico.

One co-chairman of the Task Force, Robert Bonner, was quoted in the AP saying, “Improving our efforts ... will weaken the drug cartels and disrupt their illegal activities, and make it easier ultimately to dismantle and destroy them.”

In 1994 President Clinton instated an assault weapons ban. According to a Newsweek article, that ban lapsed five years ago and since then the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has “lifted virtually all restrictions on imports of foreign-made assault weapons, permitting a flood of cheap Romanian, Bulgarian and other Eastern European AK-47s to enter the country, according to gun-control groups.”

At the end of the 1994 assault weapons ban, the NRA put out a press release titled “Finally, the end of a sad era – Clinton Gun Ban stricken from the books!” The release argued that the gun ban was a “misguided law, which had no effect on the actions of criminals, but penalized law-abiding citizens, [and] was built on a campaign of lies. It was ended through a campaign of education, facts, and grassroots activism. The sunset of this ban was only made possible through the tireless efforts of millions of NRA members and tens of millions of American gun owners over the past 10 years.”

In February of 2009 Attorney General Eric Holder told the press that the Obama administration planned to reinstate the assault weapons ban. However, the Obama administration has since put the assault weapons ban on the back burner, claiming that Congress is too tied up with economic recovery and health care to deal with the ban at this time.